Deep Cover
by Firefly070995
Summary: AU: Naruto is not the dobe that everyone thinks he is. Instead he is the youngest Anbu Captain Konoha has ever known. Barely a year into the best job he has ever had, he receives a mission he can't refuse. How will he tackle the situation he finds himself in? And can he do his job and still protect what matters to him? Strong!Naruto No parings
1. The one where Fox is introduced

**Hey guys, lately I've been kinda Naruto crazy and have read so many fanfictions I got to the point where I couldn't find anymore that satisfied me. So I decided to write one myself. I dont really know where this story is going yet, so please bare with me.**

**In the meantime I hope you enjoy :)**

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"Dont run too far ahead Aimi-chan!" the voice of her older sister called out but she paid little attention to it, too distracted by the colour and sounds that surrounded her. Today was market day and Hina nee-chan had promised that she could come, for days Aimi had been consumed with excitement. Even though she would soon be five and therefore all grown-up, in her opinion, Mother and Father still rarely let her out of the house alone. But today was market day! This meant that traders from all over the map would, for this day only, be selling their goods in Konoha. The normally quiet streets were filled to bursting point with sounds and scents foreign to the peaceful shinobi village. Everywhere Aimi looked, tall people dressed in weird clothing stood, yelling out prices or arguing over the worth of some item or another. Everything was so overwhelming and wonderful; Aimi felt all her senses tingling in excitement and awe, almost overloading in the effort to soak up as much as possible. She wondered through the crowd paying attention to everything and nothing at the same time.

She didn't hear her sister's load calls grow more frantic as she was swept further in to the throng of bustling people. She didn't see one of the foreign traders angrily shove a rude customer away from his stall. She didn't notice the resulting domino effect caused by said man, knocking over a tower of precariously stacked crates.

She **did** hear her sister's scream as the crates started to topple. And she defiantly noticed that she was standing right in their path.

"**AIMI!**" The shrill scream was filled with fear and panic. Hina ran towards where she had last seen her little sister, wide brown eyes scanning the heavy pile of crates now lying in an undignified pile on the ground. The air around them was filled with the dust from the road that had been thrown up in their recent collapse.

_She had been right there! She couldn't be...its not possible! _"AIMI" She screamed again, her voice now filled with despair as tears started to prick at the corner of her eyes. _She couldn't be dead. She had to have gotten out of the way. Oh Kami. What was she going to tell her parents?_

"Hina?" a quiet cough sounded from behind her. The 13 year old girl whirled around to see her little sister, covered in dust, pale and shaking, but 100% alive and whole.

With a gasp Hina shot forward gathered her up in her arms and held the trembling child to her chest.

"H-how?" The young teen whispered

Aimi started bawling her eyes out "Hina-nee-chan!" She sobbed "I-I was s-so scared! I t-thought I-I was gonna die!" The child buried her head in her sister's neck. "But he saved me!"

"Who..." Hina felt her throat close up as she glanced upwards only to come face to face with an emotionless porcelain mask. It was shaped in an animalistic way, with pointed ears and a long snout. The person wearing it was clothed in a white cloak that covered his head and a large part of his body.

_Anbu_ her mind provided for her.

Hina gulped as she took in the black ops ninja. Hastily she bowed, realising she had been staring. "Thank you Anbu-san, I owe you my sister's life." She spoke quietly and with respect, her head still bowed to the floor. A moment passed before she tentatively raised her head, she half expected the man to have disappeared, Anbu weren't known for sticking around for small talk. However to her shock the shinobi was still standing there and Hina had the impression he was analysing her. She shifted uncomfortably and unconsciously held her still weeping sister a little closer to her body, almost as if she expected the masked man to attack her, which was ridiculous. The man was a guardian for Konoha, he wouldn't attack a harmless civilian. The fact that he had just saved her sister from being crushed proved this point, but she couldn't help feel that this man was dangerous.

The man's head tilted to one side and Hina got the impression that he found her reaction amusing. He then nodded his head at her once before disappearing in a small swirl of leaves.

Hina was left standing there, blinking stupidly. She had just seen one of the most elite the village of Konoha had to offer, she felt equal parts awed and excited. Just wait until her friends heard about this! Realising that neither her nor her sister were in the mood for shopping anymore, Hina started to walk towards home, keeping a firm hold on the still trembling Aimi. As she walked she replayed the events in her head, and she couldn't help but notice that the Anbu had seemed rather short for a ninja...

.oO Oo.

Anbu Captain Fox berated himself quietly. It wasn't like him to be seen by civilians and he had no idea why he had allowed himself to be spotted this time. It would have been an easy matter to save the child and then leave before the older girl had a chance to even know he was there. Instead he had gone against regulation and stuck around long enough to receive the girl's thanks. Why? Why had he done that? He didn't do it for the appreciation or the attention, this much he knew to be true. Long ago he used to pine after such things but that side of him was detrimental to being in anbu so he had quickly gotten over it after joining their ranks. He wondered if he had done it to make sure the young girl had gotten safely back to her sister, but that didn't seem right either. He slowly replayed the event in his head, trying to find what had caused him to slip up. To his confusion he felt his chest tighten when he got to the part where the older girl had thought her younger sibling to be dead. The pure agony and sorrow in the young teens voice and made something resound deep inside of him. Nobody had ever called his name out in such a way. Fox sighed to himself. He was anbu damnit! He wasn't meant to still have those types of emotions. Fox had long ago accepted his lot in life. He had grown tired of waiting for someone to come along who cared enough to answer him when he cried at night. He didn't need to be held, or to be told that everything would be all right.

He was Fox, the youngest anbu captain Konoha had ever had, his skill and power outshone people more than twice his age. He didn't need someone to care for him.

With a firm resolve Fox pushed his emotions down. He needed to report to the head of Anbu, something he was not looking forward to in the least. Deer had been running Anbu from way before Fox had been born and there was a rumour going around the ranks that he would soon be hanging up the mask as he had been offered the head of Jonin job, something he heard to be a lot less stressful. So reporting Anbu were now far more likely to have to debrief to the man Deer had been grooming to take his place. An Anbu Fox had only had the 'pleasure' of working with a few times before, Bear.

And if there was one thing Bear hated it was lateness. With this in mind Fox put on an extra burst of speed, no need to make the new boss mad at him before he had even started his job.

.oO Oo.

"Well, everything seems to be in order." Bear's voice sounded deep and gruff from behind the snarling mask he wore over his face. Fox felt himself release a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding in relief

"Of course, there is this matter of what happened at the market," Fox stiffened again "You said in your report that you showed yourself to the civilian, is this true?"

"Yes, sir" Fox answered plainly

There was a moment silence. "I would reprimand you but think you are already aware of your mistake" Bear's voice held no emotion

"It won't happen again, sir."

Bear paused for a moment to survey the young Captain in front of him. Of course he knew Fox's story, as the upcoming leader of the Anbu Black Ops it was his job to know everything about his agents. He also knew that up until this point, Fox had an absolutely clean record. The boy had taken to Anbu like a fish to water; his rise through the ranks had been swift and unheard of. The boy was an Anbu at the age of 7, team leader by 8. By the time he was 10 he wore the white cloak that defined him to be of the rank of Anbu Captain. Answerable only to the head of Anbu and the Hokage himself. In all this time the kid had never made a mistake, until today.

"I'll take your word for it Fox, this time. But this is the last time I expect to hear you making such a rookie mistake. Next time you want to play with the civilians you can kiss your mask goodbye. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Bear chucked a sealed scroll at the masked preteen in front of him, Fox reached out a hand and snatched it out of the air, "There is your next assignment, gather your team and leave in the next hour. You're dismissed."

Fox shushined away, leaving the tale tale scattered leaves in his wake. Bear sighed as he brushed a few off his desk muttering under his breath about 'damn over dramatic Anbu' and 'I have a door for a reason'.

.oO Oo.

Kakashi had been in Anbu since he was 15, he was now 23 and in that time he had served under and beside many of the Anbu that had come and gone in the last 8 years. But he had to admit, he current unit was by far the best. They had been working together for about a year. It had been a year of no failed missions, no deaths on the squad and minimal injuries. And Kakashi had to admit it was probably all thanks to his Captain.

When Fox had first appeared 3 years ago, Kakashi had been sceptical. He could tell by his small stature that the kid probably wasn't even in double digits yet. The youngest Anbu he had ever seen had been Itachi, who had joined when he was 11, and look how well that had turned out.

Fox was different however. He learnt that after working with him only once. Whereas Itachi had been withdrawn and silent, never socialising or even talking to his team mates, Fox was loud for an Anbu. Of course during missions he could be counted on to completely professional, but afterwards, when they where washing the blood of their hands and weapons, he turned into a right chatter box. He seemed to relish any sort of human conversation; he had a light and quick sense of humour that had left many Anbu reeling in its wake. Kakashi knew that the old him would have probably found the young man annoying, but the new him found him to be good company and he often started wondering who was under the expressionless fox mask.

He therefore had been happy instead of disappointed when it was announced that Fox would be the next Captain instead of him, he was quite content to be second in command when it came to serving under the best Anbu he had come across. The boy skills were amazing and most importantly he didn't let them go to his head. He had become, dare he say it, a friend of sorts.

"Dog, we've got a new mission, let's go." Crane appeared in front of him before shushining away.

Kakashi made sure his canine mask was attached firmly to his head and that his black cloak covered his weapons before flashing through a few hand signs and following his teammate.

.oO Oo.

Fox crouched on one of the many branches that rimmed the village, every few minutes he flared his chakra so that his teammate could locate him. He had already read through the mission scroll and he had to admit that the thing sounded borderline A-rank maybe even a high B-rank, much easier than the normal S-rank his team took on. In fact his team was herald as the only Anbu team to ever go on a SS-rank mission and not lose a single member. He was therefore slightly worried about the seemingly walk-in-the-park mission he was currently holding. Was this punishment? Were they thinking of putting him on probation? Or maybe there's was the only team available at this time. Well, for whatever reason it was, test or just coincidence, Fox would perform it to the best of his abilities.

Three masked people appeared, each taking a branch in a separate tree. Crane, Cobra and Dog, his team.

There was a moment silence, it seemed almost as if the three were waiting for something, the longer the silence continued the higher the tension rose.

"Yo." Fox said at last

His three companions broke out in a mix of groaning and jeering.

"Ha! I told you, I told you! Now pay up Crane!" Cobra yelled

"Aw man! I could have been sure...damnit!" Crane grumbled before, much to Fox's amusement, pulling out a few notes of money a throwing them at Cobra. "Here take your money you thieving little harpy, how did you know he would say that?!"

Cobra laughed, "Cos he's been spending **way **too much time around Dog lately. Never gamble with the queen!" Cobra cackled in an over the top evil way.

Fox turned slightly towards his second in command. "Was I just a source of a bet?" He muttered quietly

Dog hummed in affirmative.

"Well at least you didn't partake in it" Fox grumbled

"What sort of man do you take me for?" Dog replied before reaching out and catching the role of notes that Crane had lobbed at his head.

Fox face palmed "Children. I'm working with children."

"Aww but you love us anyway, don't you Foxy-chan?" Cobra pouted

"Yes yes, ok playtime's over; we **do** have a mission to complete." Fox groaned, but behind the mask he was smiling. The simple teasing and jokes he shared with his team was the best part of being in Anbu as far as he was concerned. To an outsider it might look as if they were being disrespectful, but Fox had been through too much with the three of them to ever think that. He had saved each and every one of their lives on multiple occasions. He had stemmed blood from Cobra stomach when one mission went south and they were stuck behind enemy lines. He had pushed Crane out of the way of an exploding tag that one time where the senbon wielding man was just not fast enough. He had taken a kunai to his chest to stop it before it reached a downed Dog's spine.

He had given everything to his team and had come to care for them in an almost family way...if a family could be a bunch of people who didn't know who the other person was.

"Right, this one is a simple search and destroy. The target is rumoured to be hiding somewhere in a border village in Fire country. We are to stop him before he crosses over the border. Any questions?" Fox scanned the two men and woman around him, each stood to attention; silent and deadly, completely different to the fun loving people they had been moments before. "Okay, formation 3, let's move out."

The four Anbu disappeared, moving at speeds no untrained eye could catch.

.oO Oo.

Fox stood to attention, his hands clenched at his sides and his back straight. Beside him stood the rest of his team each holding the same position, the tension in the air was palpable. Before them stood Deer, Bear and the Hokage who was wearing an unusually firm expression on his normally kind face. Behind them was the rest of the Anbu.

"Anbu operatives Fox, Dog, Cobra and Crane, you have been called here today to answer for your actions in your recent mission to the border village of Hakone." The Hokage spoke, his voice held no emotions "Myself and the head of Anbu have decided that such a grievous error as the one you have committed can only be answered with one response."

Here he paused, the tension in the room rose a few more notches.

"You are all hereby stripped of all ranks and privileges," an almost inaudible gasp rippled through the crowd of Anbu "You will hand in your uniform and your mask and leave. From here on out, you are no longer part of the Anbu black ops."

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**Tell me what you guys think? Should I continue it? Oh and cookies for anyone who can tell me who Cobra and Crane are...I think its pretty obvious...chocolate chip cookies if you can name Bear and Deer too  
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**oh p.s **

**this is my first time using any Japanese words such as -chan and -san please tell me if I get any wrong :)**


	2. The one where a mission is undertaken

**WOW! Thank you all so much! I didn't expect to get so many reviews! I'm really flabbergasted guys...wow :D**

**Unfortunately this chapter goes more into character study than plot, but its still really important. I hope not too many of you are disappointed with my solution to last chapter's cliffie ^_^**

**Next chapter I will be revealing who's under the masks, but I think most of you have got it anyway.**

**Finally a big thank you to my wonderful Beta: Brokenxtalon on Tumblr!**

_This is a flashback_

This is normal

**This is emphasis **

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Previously

_"ANBU operatives Fox, Dog, Cobra and Crane, you have been called here today to answer for your actions in your recent mission to the border village of Hakone," the Hokage spoke, his voice holding no emotions. "Myself and the head of ANBU have decided that such a grievous error as the one you have committed can only be answered with one response."_

_Here he paused. The tension in the room rose a few more notches._

_"You are all hereby stripped of all ranks and privileges." An almost inaudible gasp rippled through the crowd of ANBU. "You will hand in your uniform and your mask and leave. From here on out, you are no longer part of the ANBU Black Ops." _

Two hours earlier

The mission had been easy**- **a simple in**-**and**-**out assassination. The target hadn't even had the chance to put up a fight; they had found him sleeping in a rundown hotel/brothel. The room had stunk of booze and other even less pleasant odours. Fox had given the signal**,** and with one well**-**aimed senbon from Crane**,** the job was done. No fuss, minimal evidence. It took less than ten minutes.

The whole way back**,** Cobra complained about how ANBU was no fun anymore, and surely there was something more interesting they could do because she hadn't had the chance to do anything. Silently**,** Fox agreed with her.

The rest of the way back to Konoha had been filled with light jokes and laughter. Cobra teased Dog mercilessly after finding an Icha Icha book in his weapons pouch-something Dog refused to comment on. At the same time**,** Crane rubbed the fact that he was the only one that did any work in everybody's faces. He even went as far as to suggest that he should receive all the pay because he had technically completed the mission. After Fox had quietly suggested that if he could win a bet against him then he would be happy to let Crane get the money, the bird masked man had shut up-much to the amusement of everyone else. Fox's luck with any sort of gambling was legendary**.** Crane may have been a sucker for bets**,** but even he knew not to try and beat his **c**aptain-not unless he wanted to run around ANBU HQ wearing nothing but his mask and a pair of underpants... at least not again.

Soon**,** the small group found themselves passing through the gates of Konoha, relaxed and content after a mission well done... only to be stopped by ANBU operative Cat before they had taken more than four steps into the villages boundaries.

"Fox- taichou, the Hokage wants to see you and your team straight away." The man spoke plainly. Fox liked Cat; he was a good man, if a little stiff.

"We'll be right there**,**" Fox replied**.H**e gestured to his teammates and all four of them **s**hushined towards the Hokage tower.

.oO Oo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the third Hokage of Konoha, and as far as he was concerned, far too old for the job. He had seen generations of new shinobi fresh from the academy fall in battle and failed missions. He had seen his successor and both his predecessors fall. And although he still maintained much of his former strength, his mind felt world weary. He wasn't meant to be sitting behind the desk, dealing with annoying civilians or power hungry council members. He was meant to be at home, caring for his family and slipping his grandson sweets while no one was looking.

As he swept his gaze down at the kneeling figure in front of him, he was reminded now more than ever of all his past failings. Was he really any better than Danzo? A weapon with free will was still a weapon. And wasn't that exactly what he had forged the young man in front of him into? It didn't matter how many times the bright boy assured him he was happier than ever right where he was. Sarutobi still felt he could have done more for him.

And now he was about to take away everything the child had worked for- once again for the good of the Village.

"Fox, you and your team are the best ANBU I have on rotor at the moment. Your team work is impeccable and your mission history shows this," he started, trying to keep his inner turmoil from showing on his face. "I am therefore quite loathed to have you removed from active duty."

All four of the ninja stiffened. "What do you mean, old man?" Fox demanded. Sarutobi could hear the borderline panic in the young man's voice.

"Calm down**,** **c**aptain**,** and let me explain myself," the Hokage said calmly**.**He didn't reprimand Fox from calling him 'old man'**;** if anything**,** he was grateful for it. It showed him that the boy he had considered a grandson was still there under the harsh ANBU exterior.

"What I am about to tell you does not leave this room. I have already taken the liberty of sealing us in a sound barrier." Here, the Hokage paused and swallowed, wetting his suddenly dry throat. Sensing the seriousness of what he was about to impart, the four masked shinobi all tensed slightly. The atmosphere was very different from the one the four comrades had shared less than ten minutes earlier. The teasing and laughter was now long forgotten.

"The mission I am about to offer you is one of utmost sensitivity and importance. The only people who will know the full details of this assignment are the people you see around you. No one else can know about it. Much will be asked of you, maybe too much. One thing that cannot be debated upon however is the fact that if you are to accept this mission, you cannot be affiliated with Konoha Black Ops. To put it simply: to complete this mission, all of you must give up ANBU."

The silence in the room was deafening.

"What do you mean 'Give up ANBU'?" Fox asked carefully after a few seconds. His position hadn't changed, but anyone looking at the young captain could see the tension running through him.

"To complete this mission**,** you will be taking up your true personas. No one must know you were once in the Black Ops. However, it is more complicated than that." The Third ran a tired hand down his face, "Because of your, how shall I say it… 'fame' within ANBU, if you were all to go missing then questions would be asked. Therefore**,** the only way in which you could leave ANBU freely was if-"

"-Was if we were kicked out, publicly." Dog interrupted.

The Hokage nodded slowly. The silence gained control once again; the pressure of it pushed on the eardrums of everyone present.

Cobra was the first to break it. "What sort of fucked up mission is this anyway?!" she exclaimed angrily spinning on her heel and throwing her hands up at the ceiling.

"Cobra," Fox growled out in warning.

"No, I'm sorry sir, but for once can't we just say 'fuck you' to a mission?! Do you have any idea how hard I've worked to get where I am today? To throw all of that away for just one mission. Screw this!" The woman let her emotions, normally so tightly reined in when she wore the mask, bubble free.

"I know that it may seem like I am asking too much," Sarutobi said calmly though there was a hint of steel hidden in his tone, "but do not forget your place Cobra-san. To put it bluntly, I do not know how long this mission will continue for, but it is likely to be long term. There will be no help while you are on this mission, and no one can know what your mission is. You will most likely be working against the council. There will be no recognition from this mission, and you may have to lie and manipulate people you call friends. The completion of this mission is of the utmost importance for the good of the village." The last line was said with all the weight and authority of the Third Hokage behind it.

The atmosphere within the room felt heavy and oppressing, like a storm was about to roll in.

The Hokage sighed, deep and wearily. "Fox, I need **you** for this. It can't be anybody else."

The boys head was bowed, the muscles in his back stretched taut. His hands were fisted by his side. _For the good of the village..._

_The good of the village._

Fox had given every damn thing he had to the village. He had been ignored and neglected since before he could remember. Everywhere he went, cold eyes filled with mistrust and hatred followed him. He had been left alone; nobody would even_ look_ at him willingly. That was until he started to show an aptitude in the Shinobi Arts. The first time he was caught walking up the side of a building when he was 3 had been the worst day of his life. He still remembered the crowd that had formed around him, filled with fearful civilians and ninja. The stink of their fury and hate had rolled off them in waves. He was so sure he was going to die that day.

He owed the village nothing.

Because of the idiocy and short-sightedness of the village, Fox had had to act like a fool. He learned his lesson after that day: Never show your true self to the villagers. Otherwise**, **a lynch mob just might be waiting around the next corner.

When he had been drafted into ANBU it had been such a relief. He didn't have to wear the mask of an idiot anymore because he had a real mask. The only difference was that this one was liberation instead of imprisonment.

And now the Hokage wanted to take that away from him?! _For the good of the village? _

Fox would have laughed if he hadn't felt so damn angry.

The only place he had ever felt true happiness was with the three other people in this room. They were his family. He owed his life and sanity to them. Not the Village.

Fox turned away from the silent watchful eyes of the man who was like a grandfather to him. He couldn't stand the desperate look the old geezer was giving him. Unconsciously, his hands went to grip his spiky hair before he remembered that he was still wearing his white hood. Not knowing what to do with the slightly shaking appendages, he settled for gripping the edges of his sleeves until his knuckles went white.

This wasn't fair. For once, Fox just wanted to act his age and scream in a tantrum until the Hokage stopped watching him with his downright expectant, loving and _proud _eyes.

He would have to disappoint him. He couldn't...no, **wouldn't**, give up everything for a village he had never thought of as a home. Fox turned back to the Third, ready to give him his answer when he caught sight of Dog. The man was standing completely still, leaning slightly on a wall. Anyone who didn't know him would say that the man looked completely relaxed- bored even. But Fox could read the strain in his friend's stance. The canine-masked elite seemed to be trying to stop himself from saying anything that could colour Fox's decision. He obviously didn't want Fox to make a decision that could change his life based on his wants.

Fox was suddenly struck with a realisation. He may not care for the village, but Dog loved Konoha. How would his friend feel if he turned his back on the village?

Fox recalled the first time he had had a true conversation with the man. It had been one of the first missions he had gone on with ANBU. They had been stranded over night in Earth county- a very dangerous place to be.

_The night air was freezing_**_,_**_ as it swept right through the makeshift campsite, the Fox_**_-_**_masked boy silently tried to repress a shiver. He didn't want to seem weak. He had already had enough of the sceptical looks the ANBU team had been throwing him throughout the whole mission, but he would show them.__H__e would show them that he wasn't too young to be there. He may have only just turned 7_**_,_**_ but Fox was confident in his abilities. __N__ow__,__ if only he could get closer to the small fire without the rest of his team noticing._

_"Yo, Fox. Come here for a second." _

_The boy's head snapped up. __T__his was the first time any of his teammates had called him by his designated name instead of just 'Rookie'._

_Silently, Fox walked over to the man who happened to be sitting the closest to the only heat source in these rocky mountains they were currently sheltering in. _

_"How can I help you Dog-san?" he asked politely._

_"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I just thought you looked a little chilly." _

_Fox paused, unsure of how to proceed. Should he __have been__ angry because the other operative thought he needed sheltering_**_,_**_ or should he be happy that one of his teammates cared enough to notice how cold he was?_

_"Stop hovering over me and just sit down," Dog murmured quietly. _

_Fox hesitated a moment longer before slowly sinking to the ground._

_"Stop worrying so much about what the others think," The older ANBU continued, his voice still low enough that only Fox who was sitting right next to him could hear, "You shouldn't be in this line of work if people's opinions matter so much to you."_

_Fox said nothing. He just sat there and let the warmth of the fire wash over him, unfreezing his muscles and bones. _

_Why __**was **__he there? Was he really suited to ANBU? Sure, he was strong, but was that enough? _

_The masked boy tried to push away all the doubts that plagued him. They had been nagging at the back of his mind all day, and now that he had finally settled down and relaxed, they had reappeared with a vengeance. _

_"Why did you join ANBU?" he blurted out suddenly. He didn't know where the question came from; he just knew that he had to distract himself, and talking seemed to be the best solution. _

_Dog stiffened slightly and turned to face the short boy beside him. The fire threw weird shadows across the canine mask, making it seem like the porcelain animal face was moving. _

_Dog studied Fox silently. A minute passed and the older man had still not said a word. Fox was beginning to think he had offended the man and was just about to apologise and leave when he answered._

_"That's a pretty personal question...but I don't see the harm in telling you the abridged version. You probably don't want to be asking any of the others that though; they won't be a nice as I'm being." Fox shuddered slightly at the veiled warning._

_"Very long story short, the person I was couldn't protect what mattered to him, so he thought that Dog could do a better job of it."_

_Fox took a minute to digest that. Dog's reason sounded right, noble even. Much better than his own 'because I wanted to be a ninja and this was the only way'._

_"What's worth protecting?" Fox asked, and for a minute, he sounded as young and vulnerable as his 7 years._

_Dog turned back to the fire and gave a little shrug. "I think you're going to have to work that out yourself. I can't tell you all the answers. You'll know when you find it though."_

Dog had then gotten up and left Fox alone with his thoughts. The subject wasn't breached again on the way home, and it would be a few years before he once again worked with Dog. By that time, the conversation had slipped from the young ANBU's mind.

Only now, facing the hardest choice he had ever had to make, could Fox recall it. And he finally had his answer. The thing he wanted to protect, the only thing in his mind worth protecting, were his bonds.

The bonds between him and his teammates. The bond between him and the Old Man. All of them were precious to him.

If he refused this mission, how many bonds would he be breaking? How many people would he be letting down?

"I can't decide this on my own," Fox finally spoke. "Dog, Cobra, Crane... if you agree to do this then I will be behind you one hundred percent."

His teammates exchanged glances, and each gave a small nod.

Fox sighed deeply. Damn that Will of Fire.

"I guess we're in, Old Man."

The Hokage breathed a silent breath of relief. However they weren't clear of the hill yet; things where only just getting started.

"Thank you, all of you," he said, eyeing the four ninja in front of him proudly. "Now that you have accepted it, I can reveal that the objective of this mission is the heir of one of the most powerful clans Konoha has- one who's unique abilities must be kept safe at all cost. Your assignment is to protect, nurture and watch over the last Uchiha and his precious bloodline. Your mission is Saskue Uchiha."

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**I love hearing what you guys think!  
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	3. The one where identities are revealed

I really cant believe the response I have had to this:18 reviews in the first chapter and 10 in the second! You guys are amazing, seriously! I cant get this silly dopey grin off my face every time I read a review from you guys, thank you so much :D

This chapter was hell to write, I spent maybe 3 days just staring at the screen and writing complete crap :P finally came up with something that was good enough to post.

**LONG A/N NOTES AHEAD**

Ok I just want to make a few things clear before you read the chapter. I do not hate any of the Naruto characters to the point where I would write them out of character in my stories. If they seem out out of character to you it is probably because that's the way I think they would act if their circumstances had changed.

For example: in this fic you will be seeing a softer side to Kakashi because thats how I think he would act if Naruto had wormed his way into his heart from earlier on in his life. The same goes for his other team mates.

However the opposite has happened with Iruka. Because Naruto never felt the need for company as much as he did in the manga, he hasn't bonded with Iruka. Iruka has never gotten to know or care for Naruto, to him he is just an annoying boy with a tragic past. He doesn't hate Naruto, he just doesnt care for him like he did in the Manga. He is still the same Iruka we all know and (most of us) love though.

Finally as always I want to thank my wonderful Beta Brokenxtalon

ONWARDS!

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Previously

_"Thank you, all of you," he said, eyeing the four ninja in front of him proudly. "Now that you have accepted it, I can reveal that the objective of this mission is the heir of one of the most powerful clans Konoha has- one who's unique abilities must be kept safe at all cost. Your assignment is to protect, nurture and watch over the last Uchiha and his precious bloodline. Your mission is Sasuke Uchiha."_

Kakashi had**,** over the years**,** perfected his nonchalant attitude to a T, but even **he **couldn't stop his body from betraying his surprise. The top secret mission was just babysitting some 11**-**year**-**old brat? Really?

The silver-haired elite snuck a glance at the slight figure of his captain. The young ANBU looked to be as taken aback as the rest of them.

"I can see just by looking around that none of you really understand what I am asking. This isn't going to be just some glorified D-rank mission," the Third stated. "This mission requires delicacy. Each of you will, from this day, be playing major parts in the Uchiha's life- be it friend, teacher or comrade.

"While it is true that the main mission is to protect the boy, I also expect you to shape the young Uchiha and to ensure his loyalties to the Leaf." Sarutobi steepled his fingers. "I am worried about the path the child has chosen for himself. Konoha cannot lose the Sharingan."

Kakashi listened intently as the Hokage explained the true nature of the last Uchiha. It was obvious from his description that the boy was unstable and considered a flight risk. The child had gone out of his way to avoid forming any bonds within the village and seemed to have very little morals when it came to obtaining more power. On top of that**,** the kid had an overlarge ego with a superiority complex mixed in- gained from his large and fanatical fan club. Overall**,** the picture the Hokage painted wasn't a very pleasant one. Although he wasn't saying it, Kakashi could read underneath the underneath enough to know that the older man thought that the Uchiha was likely to betray the village- if the deal was sweet enough.

Dealing with someone so unstable would be a challenge.

"I think that's all I can give you on his rest**,** you will have to discover for yourself."

"Fun times," Cobra muttered under her breath "the brat sounds delightful."

Sarutobi ignored her and continued speaking. "All that's left is to assign you to your different roles. Some of you will be in closer contact with the Uchiha and some of you will provide extra support. You will still be taking orders from Fox. After you leave this room, he will have final word on all decisions made throughout the duration of this mission. I will not be able to give you any further instructions as I will take up the presence of not even knowing that this discussion has taken place.

"You will be in deep cover within your own village and your aliases will be your own identities. Are there any questions before I ask you to de-mask?"

Silence filled the room. A tense nervousness— one that was commonly felt before a dangerous mission—surrounded them.

Finally the short Fox masked boy broke the quiet.

"I really hope you know what you're doing, old man. Let's get on with it then."

.oO Oo.

Kakashi had no problem with revealing his proper identity- not to the people currently in the room with him anyway. He trusted each of them with his life, so of course he could trust them with his identity**.** With wry amusement**,** he realized that a couple of years ago, hell even last year that would not have been the case. When the Hokage ordered him to remove his mask first, he did it with no hesitation. Silently**,** he pulled the shaped porcelain away from his face**-**revealing one droopy eye and a blue Konoha hitai-ate slanted over the other. Covering the rest of his face was a tight blue mask.

"Kakashi Hatake!? The laziest Jonin in the whole village?" Cobra exploded.

"You really didn't know, Cobra?" Crane asked, a bit incredulous. "Isn't your speciality information gathering? The guy uses his summonings and Chidori in missions, for Kami sake! How could you not know?"

Cobra folded her arms in a sulky manner. "Hey, don't blame me! The whole 'turning up on time thing' threw me off. Isn't Kakashi Hatake always meant to be late? Dog never was!"

"Still, that is shockingly bad. Maybe we should switch specialities. You be the poison expert and I'll do the information gathering." Crane teased.

Cobra said nothing, only giving the bird-masked man a rather rude hand gesture- one definitely **not** used in any jutsu.

"Kakashi, you will assume the rank of elite Jonin," the Hokage went on, ignoring the bickering ANBU**.** "When Sasuke Uchiha is sorted into a Genin team, you will be his **s**ensei."

Kakashi's visible eye twitched. For a second, he entertained the thought that this whole important mission thing was just a story- a ruse to get him to finally accept a teaching role, but he dismissed it; no way would a Kage of one of the five great nations do something like that. He was 99 percent sure he wouldn't. Kakashi looked over at his Village's leader. The man was smirking slightly and his eyes were dancing with crafty pleasure. Kakashi felt a small amount of perspiration gather on the back of his neck...make that 95 percent sure.

"Crane. Cobra. Your roles will be very similar, so will you please remove your masks together," the old man continued, satisfaction still oozing from every pore.

In a skilful swiftness and synchronicity that was born from a year of working closely together, the two ANBU agents removed their masks and revealed the cheeky smirk of Anko Mitarashi and the calm face of Genma Shiranui. The latter of which quickly turned a pale complexion reminiscent of curdled milk when he saw the revealed face of his female counterpart.

"ITS YOU!" She hissed when she spotted the now slightly shaking man

"Do you two know each ot-" Kakashi started before Genma yelped slightly as Anko dived at him, obviously trying to tackle him to the ground. Genma vanished and reappeared behind Kakashi, using the stronger ninja as a human shield against the angry female.

"Listen, Cobra! I'm really sorry. If I had known you were Anko I would never-" the senbon wielder stammered out desperately.

"You PINCHED my ASS!" she yelled as she tried to get at him.

"It was an accident!"

"TWICE!"

Calming Anko down took the combined effort of Fox and the Hokage, and even then**,** Genma hadn't gotten away completely unharmed. The brown haired man now sported a cut lip and a sore leg that occurred when he had just barely avoided an angry kick to his groin. Anko stood muttering under her breath about how she was on a team with a pervert and misogynist, but she didn't try and attack Genma again.

"Now that that is all out of the way," the Hokage said in a weary voice, "we can proceed. Genma and Anko, you will both take up the roles of Special Jonin. You will be working on the peripheries, never really interacting with the Uchiha. You will gather information and stick to the shadows. Is that understood?"

At their nods, the Third turned to the last masked person in the room. Fox stood calmly, but Kakashi could sense a nervous energy around his friend. The young ANBU obviously wasn't looking forward to this. The identity of Fox was one of the great unknowns in the village- in and outside of ANBU. Of course people had theories; the most popular one, ironically, was the Uchiha boy.

"Perhaps it is easiest if I explain your role once you have revealed yourself, Fox." The Third spoke softly.

The short ANBU's nod was stiff and robotic. Slowly, his hands went to the porcelain covering his face. With visible hesitation, he grasped the thin white edges. Everybody held their breath. The mask was slowly lifted.

Bright blue eyes that twinkled with mischief and merriment, but that also held pain and fear and doubt buried deep beneath the cerulean depths. Blond spiky hair, almost golden in colour. Six whisker marks, three on each cheek.

Kakashi felt an old familiar pain stab through his chest. In his mind's eye he saw his sensei's image blur over the top of the one he was now seeing.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto, the container of the Kyuubi..the Forth Hokage's legacy..the village pariah.. and now apparently the youngest ANBU captain in Konoha's history.

Who would have thought it?

.oO Oo.

Iruka Umino had been an academy teacher for four years**,** and in that time**,** he had taught just over a hundred students. Civilian and **c**lan children alike, he had hammered the shinobi rules and basics into many heads in his time. However**,** he had to admit that his current class was by far the most challenging. A child from nearly every major clan in Konoha was in this year's class; on top of that**,** a large majority of them were clan heirs. In his downtime**,** Iruka often found himself stressing out over the fact that it was his job to make sure that the next generation was ready for the world outside the village gates. He had a recurring nightmare where the furious parents of the newest Ino-Shika-Cho trio tracked him down for failing to successfully teach their children after they died on their first C-rank. On top of overly protective parents**,** he had to deal with the village pariah: one Naruto Uzumaki.

The boy was impossible to teach. He was loud**,** and rude, he was attention**-**seeking, he never listened, and was constantly late for class- sometimes even missing whole he finally did make it in, he would then proceed to sleep through most of Iruka's lectures. And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that the brat held the most fearsome and deadly creature known throughout the lands in his stomach, making him-in the eyes of the many-a walking time bomb. But out of all of those things**, **what got to the young academy teacher the most was that the boy was a walking enigma.

If Iruka hadn't been one to try and help his students in any way possible, he was sure he would never have noticed, but there were inconsistencies when it came to the blond**-**haired demoncontainer- little things that only stood out if you knew what you were looking for. The boy knew things that**,** for all intents and purposes, he shouldn't. They werent anything dangerous or forbidden, just little unusual things. His behaviour and emotions would also fluctuate in an almost bi-polar manner; he could put on a happy face so quickly that it was almost worrying.

However**,** every attempt Iruka had made to try and unravel the mysteries surrounding the boy had been thwarted- sometimes without him even realising it. So many times he had decided to corner the boy, only to get distracted- normally by said boy doing something incredibly stupid (like pulling a large and messy prank or challenging the top student to a fight.)

The amount of times Iruka had seen that boy get beaten in to the ground was painful. Yet the kid always came back for more, and even more astonishing, came back with a smile plastered all over his face.

The young chunin's thoughts were interrupted when his first student of the day entered his classroom. He didn't have time to think about the dead**-**last anymore. He had clan heirs to teach.

.oO Oo.

Naruto walked into the classroom. Today was his first day back since his dishonourable discharge. It had been as horrifying and upsetting as he thought it would be. Even though it was all a set-up, it had still taken all of his willpower and training not to let any of his emotions show. The shock and disappointment within the ANBU ranks had been palpable. If he hadn't had his team by his side and lending him their strength, he was sure he would have cracked slightly under the blank stares of Deer's and Bear's masks. He hated the fact that the men now thought the worst of him. But through it all, his team had stood by him.

He had dreaded showing the three of them who he really was, but the way they had reacted had been nothing like he had ever imagined. He had expected some sort of bad reaction, be it disgust or mistrust. At the very least**,** he had expected Anko to say something loud and rude. But he was wrong. The revelation that the person they had been taking orders from in the last year was**,** in fact**,** the **"**Kyuubi brat**"** didn't seem to faze the small group in the slightest. In fact**,** the most extreme reaction he had gotten had been from Kakashi**,** who had just stood there a bit shell shocked.

Anko had at once turned to Genma**,** demanding he 'pay up'. He gathered from the man's grumblings that he had bet Anko 1500 ryō that Fox was Shikamaru Nara. Surreptitiously**,** Naruto glanced at said boy**,** who was sitting with his head on his desk two rows in front of him, and snorted. How Genma had ever thought that a Nara would ever have enough motivation to become an ANBU captain at such a young age was beyond him. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that if Shikamaru ever trained his body as much as he did his mind**,** then he would easily make it to Jonin-maybe even ANBU**-**level fairly swiftly; the boy was a true genius after all. However that would be too troublesome to even consider for the droopy**-**eyed boy.

Naruto felt a soft smile form on his face as he remembered how**,** after Anko had received her payment**,** she had gone right up to him and bent over so that her face was inches from his own. Then**,** without any indication or shame**, **she had placed her fingers on his cheeks and proceeded to poke and stroke the whisker**-**like marks found there.

_"Erm, Anko...what are you doing?" _he had asked, his voice sounding slightly distorted by the way the special Jonin's fingers were stretching his cheeks.

_"Hmm, so they aren't like scars after all. They're almost like clan markings...interesting," _She had muttered under her breath _"I've always wanted to know, you know." _

She had then stepped back and declared that it was official: their captain **"**was adorable**"**-which lead to plenty of groaning and face**-**palming. Genma had gone on to say that Anko was such a stereotypical woman and asked if she was feeling 'broody'. Of course**,** that had lead to Anko trying to strangle him (again) and call him a sexist bastard. Kakashi had tried to keep out of the way but somehow had managed to get pulled in.

The end result had been Kakashi sitting on both Anko and Genma and refusing to get off until they kissed and made up.

Naruto had just stood there, watching the bickering and play-fighting with a massive grin on his face. And though he would never admit it, his blue eyes had been shining with unshed tears.

Even thinking about it now gave his eyes an unusually shiny quality. When he had first joined ANBU, he had never, in his wildest dreams, thought that he would achieve the impossible. And yet, after the meeting with the Hokage, he was now more certain than ever that he had somehow gotten his own family.

"AWW, Whatcha cryin' about dead last? You finally realised that nobody wants you around?" A loud voice broke through Naruto's thoughts, shattering his happy mood.

He looked up and came face to face with the sneering features of one of his classmates. The kid was leaning over him, obviously trying to intimidate the smaller boy.

"Why do you even bother? You should just leave before you embarrass yourself. There is no way you'll pass the Genin exam next week," the boy, (Naruto for the life of him couldn't recall his name) continued, his annoyingly nasal voice setting his teeth on edge.

A part of him longed to show this ignorant child exactly what he could do, but his years of training stopped him. He couldn't break his cover- not for some little toe rag who would probably never be a ninja.

Laughter filled the room as him classmates watched on. Naruto felt a spark of anger, but the majority of him just felt disgusted and sad. It was so pitiful.

"Silence! Everybody in their seats now!" the loud voice of Iruka-Sensei filled the room.

As the class quietened down and the lesson began, Naruto found his eyes being drawn to the reason behind his 'expulsion' from the ANBU. Sasuke Uchiha sat in his typical brooding pose, totally unaware that his whole life would soon be as carefully controlled as stage performance.

And one week from today, the show would begin.

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I believe I owe a lot of people some cookies for guessing the identities of Crane and Cobra correctly :D expect them in the post within 3-5 day (not really, but the thought still counts right? ;) )

A few things before you go:

I have a poll on my profile to do with this story, if you would go check it out that would be great :D

Anyone who is keeping up with the Manga can you please explain something to me...I swear Sasuke's summons was a hawk...does this mean he has two contracts? I didnt even know that was possible...I'm confused... :\

Thanks for reading guys! Next update may be a little late as my stupid teachers have decided to drop a ton of work on me and the dead line is in two weeks and if I dont finish it then I will fail and the whole year would have been a waste sooo...yay fun times!


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